Jonah and the whale

Cultural  

1. A story in the Old Testament; Jonah was an Israelite whom God had called to be a prophet but who refused to accept his divine mission and left on a sea voyage instead. God then raised a great storm as a sign of his anger with Jonah. The sailors, realizing that Jonah's disobedience had caused the storm, threw him overboard in an attempt to save their ship. Jonah was saved from drowning when he was swallowed by a “great fish.” He lived for three days inside the creature, after which the fish “vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” Thankful that his life had been spared, Jonah took up his prophetic mission.

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Example Sentences

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Jonah and the whale

Constantly curious, Moss started asking thorny questions about biblical tales like the story of Jonah and the whale.

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024

And while the play is adorned with allusions to “Moby-Dick” and the biblical story of Jonah and the whale, these sometimes feel like forced attempts to add poetic fiber to the play’s standard fabric.

From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2012

One early mosaic shows Christ dressed as the Sun God; another tells the story of Jonah and the whale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2010

It has become the coexistence of Jonah and the whale that swallowed him .

From Time Magazine Archive

There are many pictures of Jonah and the whale, and one of the three children in the burning fiery furnace, for this had special messages for the martyrs as we can well understand.

From The Bible in its Making The most Wonderful Book in the World by Mildred Duff